Previous Story
Ceremony honors Chamorro, Carolininian war dead
Somber skies marked Thursday evening’s Marianas Memorial Blessing and Remembrance ceremony at the American Memorial Park. Grass drowned in mud, candlelight floundered but prayers of power and song continued.
The “solemn occasion,” as master of ceremony John Gonzales put it, was for the Carolinian and Chamorro dead who fell during World War II.
-
- Saipan Southern High School’s JROTC led the posting of colors at last Thursday’s Marianas Memorial ceremony. (DENNIS B. CHAN)
-
- Marianas High School chorale filled the ceremony with song. (DENNIS B. CHAN)
-
- Parishioners from the community light candles in remembrance of the Carolinian and Chamorro fallen during World War II. (DENNIS B. CHAN)
-
- Candles were lit at the memorial’s center, between the names of the dead. (DENNIS B. CHAN)
-
- Local leaders laid a large wreath of flowers at the center of the memorial last Thursday. From left, Diego L. Kaipat of the Saipan and Northern Island Municipal council; Jose T. Limes, executive assistant of the Carolinian Affairs Office; Ramon B. Camacho, chairman of the council; and Antonia M. Tudela, vice chair of the council. (DENNIS B. CHAN)
“Even in this tiny paradise that God gave us…we must value the life that was given,” he said to the crowd gathered under tents at the memorial courtyard of the American Memorial Park.
He was recalling the 70 years of peace and liberty in the region after the war in 1944 where innocents fell “under a war forced upon them.”
Behind him were the 10 granite panels holding the names of the thousands of Chamorro and Carolinian who died during the war and closing of Camp Susupe in 1946.
He said the memorial also serves as a reminder of the many whose final resting places remain untraceable.
“They are a lasting reminder that they are forever rooted in our home,” he said.
The Marianas High School band filled the occasion with their harmonies, Frances Sablan sang in Chamorro and Carolinian, and the Saipan Southern High School JROTC led the posting of colors.
Fr. Jesse Reyes led the invocation, while Rev. Ray Kinsella led the benediction. Kinsella led a “prayer for peace” for soldiers fallen, or fighting now, and the families suffering all over the world.
“Lord, we pray and we ask… You have blessed us with peace, we ask that you also bless them with peace,” he said.
Candles representing the parishes of the community were placed at the center of the memorial. A large blue and white-flowered wreath was placed there soon after by Jose T. Limes of the Carolinian Affairs Office, and Ramon Camacho, Antonio M. Tudela, and Diego Kaipat of the Saipan and Northern Islands Municipal Council.
The Marianas Memorial was first commemorated in 2004. Ten years later, the council decided to organize the event in order to establish a tradition of remembrance for the departed.
